Cutting device



C. F. BOWERSETT Npv. 25, 1952 CUTTING DEVICE Filed Jan. 10, 1951 FIG.2.

INVENTOR.

21H RAM Arms Patented Nov. 25, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 l0. G. 757) 6 Claims.

'This invention relates generally to cutting apparatus and more particularly to a flexible thermite element adapted for wrapping about a stranded cable or wire to be cut and whereupon as the element is ignited the cable is separated in such a manner that the strands thereof at the respective ends of the cut are so fused that subsequent fraying or brooming of the ends of the cable is thusly prevented.

The apparently simple operation of cutting stranded cable in the eld whereupon the ends of the cable are to be secured -against fraying as by fusing, can become quite difficult particularly when conducted atop a pole or at some remote location to which conventional bulky cutting apparatus must be carried long distances and possibly by pack over rough terrain to provide for such a cutting operation.

Whereas, acetylene and oxygen torches have been heretofore employed almost exclusively for the purpose of securing stranded cable and concurrently fusing the ends thereof the instant device provides for a simple arrangement of thermite pellets or beads so strung upon a supporting wire therefor that as the wire is wound about the cable to be cut the pellets are held snugly -against the cable in such a manner that as the pellets burnQfollowing their ignition, the cable is severed with the strands thereof becoming integrally fused together whereby fraying of the cable ends is prevented.

The present invention further provides for a light and compact element for cutting stranded cable or the like that may be easily carried in quantity in the pocket of a lineman and by reason of it being relatively inexpensive to manufacture may be included as conventional equipment in expendable work and repair kits whereas more expensive cutting apparatus for this purpose would be economically prohibitive.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved cable cutting thermite element flexible for winding about the cable to be cut and whereby therstrands of the cable are fused at the ends of the cut by the burning of the element.

An additional object is to provide a flexible slow-burning thermite element wherein a soft malleable Wire maintains the element in closely wound adjacency about the cable to be cut by the burning of said element.

A still further object is to provide a slow-burning high-temperature segmented element wherein a soft malleable wire is centrally arranged within interlocking segments of the element for maintaining the element in closely wound position about a stranded cable to be cut by the burning of said element.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of the thermite element of the present invention as shown wound about a section of a stranded cable to be cut by the burning of the element;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of the stranded cable after having been severed by the burning of the thermite element and with the ends of the cable shown as fused together; and

Fig. 3 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of the thermite element inan extended position and showing the arrangement therein of the igniting charge and the exothermic charge as arranged upon the malleable supporting Wire therefor. l

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 3 thereof the thermal cutting element 5 of the present device is shown therein to include a cylindrically formed casing or covering 6 which may be either formed from extruded material such, for example, as plastic or which may be woven from fabric as shown herein and thereafter suitably waterproofed either before or after assembly, as desired.

Secured within the end It of the casing is a conventional fuze element 'l about which the casing is tightly drawn as by the cord 8. Obviously a clip or any other suitable means, not shown, may be employed, ifV desired, for securing the casing about the fuze and thereafter this end of the casing may be waterproofed as by dipping inV parain or the like. The fuze 1 is adapted when ignited, as by a match, to effect the burning of a powder or igniting charge 9, Fig. 3, arranged within the end I6 of the casing and within which the inner end of the fuze 1 is buried. Abutting the charge 9 andignitible thereby is theV end of `a chain of relatively slow burning pelletsor beads Il] formed from any suitable exothermic material such, for example, as thermiteV and maintained in proper alignment within the casing as by a centrally arranged soft metallicrod' Ill over which the pellets are preferably Vthreaded or strung before insertion thereo'f'within the casing 6.' Byreason 'of the 'concave and convexforrnation of the respective ends l2 and I3 of the pellets l0, respectively, there is provided an arrangement whereby the element 5 may be easily bent for winding about a cable l5 to be cut while the pellets are maintained at all times in closely tting adjacency whereby their progressive burning may not be impaired.

The centrally arranged wire Il, which may be formed from any suitable malleable material such, for example, as soft iron or the like, provides that the element 5 when wound about the cable I5 to be cut, Fig. 1, is held closely thereto with the wire further providing means for preventing the element 5 falling apart prematurely during the burning of the pellets l thereof. After the assembly of the element 5, the endil may be waterproofed as by dipping in paraffin in a similar manner to the fuze equipped end I6 thereof and whereby the assembly is now completely moistureproof.

It will be understood that, if desired, the exothermic charge or pellets le may be in the form of thermite granules loosely packed within the casing 6 whereby the casing may be easily bent or wound about the cable to be cut. The primary disadvantage of such an arrangement over that shown herein by the pellets IU is that the thermite when in a granular form will have a tendency to spill from the casing during the burning thereof rather than be held closely to the cable as provided by the arrangement herein set forth. H

Whereas, in Fig. 3 the charge 9 is shown adapted for ignition by the fuze l', it is understood that, if desired, a detonator or match assembly may be provided interchangeably for the purpose.

As the cable l is cut by the burning thereon of the element 5 the ends I8 and I9 of the cable are so fused, as illustrated in Fig. 2, that subsequent fraying or brooming of the cable strands 20 is thereafter prevented.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

The invention described herein may be manufac-tured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A flexible exothermic cable cutting device of the character disclosed for wrapping about a cable to be cut and comprising, in combination, a casing, means for maintaining the casing in wrapped relationship about the cable, an igniting charge arranged in one end of said casing, means for igniting said charge, and a quantity of Aexothermic material arranged within said casing and disposed adjacent said charge for ignition thereby. p

2; An exothermic cable cutting device ofthe character disclosed adapted for wrapping about a cable to be cut thereby and comprising, in combination, an elongated flexible casing, an igniting charge arranged in one end of said casing, an exothermic mixture arranged for ignition by said charge and disposed substantially along the length of said casing, and a soft malleable rod arranged within said casing substantially along the length thereoffor maintaining said device in closely fitting wrapped adj acency about the cable .to be out by the burning of said mixture.

3. An exothermic lled cutting device of the character disclosed adapted for wrapping aboutV a stranded cable to be cut and comprising, in combination, an elongated flexible casing, means for maintaining the casing in intimate contact with the cable after wrapping thereabout, an ignition charge arranged in one endof said casing, fuze means for igniting said ycharge and extending outwardly from the said one end'of said casing, and a plurality of exothermio elements linearly arranged within and extending substantially along the length of said casing and ignitable by burning of said charge.

4. An exothermic cable cutting device of the character disclosed adapted for wrapping about a stranded cable to be cut and comprising, in combination, an elongated waterproof flexible casing, an ignition charge arranged in one end of said casing, means extending outwardly from said one end of said casing for igniting said charge, a malleable rod arranged within said casing and extending substantially throughout the length thereof for maintaining the deviceV closely wrapped about said cable, and a plurality of perforated exothermic pellets arranged within said casing and strung upon said rod.

5. An exothermic cable cutting device of the character disclosed adapted for wrapping about a stranded cable to be out and comprising, in combination, an elongated flexible casing,V a length of malleable rod arranged centrally in and substantially throughout the length of said casing, a plurality of concavo-convex exothermic elements in nested relationship threaded upon said rod, an igniting charge for said elements arranged in one end of said casing and in adjacency to said elements and means extending outwardly from said casing for igniting said charge.

6. An exothermic cable cutting device of the character disclosed adapted for wrapping about a cable to be cut and comprising, i-n combination, an elongated flexible casing, an igniting charge arranged in one end of said casing, a length of flexible rod centrally arranged within said casing and charge for maintaining said device tightly wrapped about said cable, a plurality of concavoconvex exothermic elements linearly arranged in nested relation within said casing and strung upon said rod and ignitible progressively in suc'- Y cessive order' by said charge, and means for closing the other end of said casing.

CHARLES r. BoWERsET'r. K

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: v Y 

